1982 Mercedes 300SD

Turbodiesel With A 4-Speed Stick!

I have a photo of my grandfather and his big old Benz sedan that I love. As a kid, I remember a regular procession of these 80s-era Mercedes’ and, in particular, that signature rattling of the diesel powertrains he must have preferred. So, this fairly awesome 1982 300SD discovery on Craigslist lit me up.

Dig that faded gold paint. Behold the wondrous combination of a 3.0L turbodiesel 5-pot AND a 4-speed manual! The pictures leave something to be desired, but the seller says it’s a SoCal car, which likely means a clean-ish undercarriage. 249,000 miles is a bunch, but these old Benzes are tanks and that diesel mill was built to go forever.

As the period marketing so accurately describes…

“There is a presidential sense of physical well-being aboard the 300 SD Turbodiesel Sedan. The seats fore and aft feel very thick, very supple.”

Indeed my good man, supple indeed! And in case you were wondering whether this was a German car, enjoy this statement on the engineering behind the windshield washers…

“Look at the windscreen washer nozzles out on the hood: not only are they heated to resist icing-up in winter; each sprays both sides of the windscreen so that if one somehow failed, visibility could still be preserved”

Yes, behold the nozzles!

These big beauties were built by “smock-coated craftsmen” working alongside cutting-edge robots (for the ‘80s). Not only that, body joint sanding and sealing was done by hand!

The point is, this is a righteous, kick-ass, highly desirable old Benz. The sunroof is said to work, it retains those glorious Bundt wheels, and it has 11 years of records. Sure, the transmission mount could use a swap and the A/C compressor is “ancient”, but the want is strong. Okay, you’ve convinced me, I must have it.